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South Korea's Islands: Geoje-Do

10/17/2018

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Exhaustion fogs my mind as rain patters down against the door to my AirBnB. I listen to it as long as I can then close my eyes, thankful that I'm warm, that my hiking shoes have finally been discarded at the entryway, and, of course, that my overflowing Osprey backpack dries by the fire place. At the kitchen counter, my host puts together a midnight snack with sweet potato and honey. He sets the dish in front of me, and we look again at the map that we had, at least two hours ago, smoothed out on the table. 

"My ancestors came from this area," he says, pointing to the west then plowing through an abbreviated few centuries of Korean history--and his own modern-day life pursuing green-energy hospitality. The sleep that had been drying my eyes and nodding my head  stops for just enough of a second to ask another question that spirals into another, and another.

My host answers them all. I apologize for my stream of thoughts, but he counters by asking me questions about American culture, about what brought me to South Korea. I lean back, eat a little more sweet potato, then tell him as much as I can, lulled by both rain and good company.
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Contents

Quick Facts 

  • Quick Facts
  • South Korea's Islands
  • My Three Day Itinerary
  • Points of Interest
  • Of Pictures and Fun Facts
Location: Geoje Island (거제도)
Cities and Province: Geoje City (거제시); Gyeongsangnam-do Province (경상남도)
Currency: South Korean Won (krw)
Population: ~
243,736
Language: Korean 
Transportation: 
Arriving -- You can't compare with the ease of taking an intercity bus in Korea. From Busan, you can leave for Geoje from Sasang Bus Terminal.
Around the Island -- Public buses are certainly doable (granted you have the right language skills and a navigation app that works), though I think it's best to save time and rent a car instead.

South Korea's Islands

While Korea's autumn weather is quickly spiraling into winter, I find myself planning and pinning down maps with every island I hear about. I guess that's what happens when you live on the coast.

Before arriving in August, I really only knew of Jeju, Korea's largest and most famous of its 3,358 islands dotted along the peninsula. Most everyone has heard about the Korean mountain hike craze--and it'd even been part of the reason why I came here!--but for some reason I hadn't heard half as much about it's islands. Island that, might add, boast some of the highest peaks and most stunning botanical gardens. Lonely Planet even has a Korean island hopping guide, and they're right to start by saying that travelers overlook the country's seaside getaways in favor of sprawling Seoul adventures.

To be fair, one of the only reasons I'd heard of Geoje had been because of my own job search just a few months ago. Fast forward now to the end of September:

As Chuseok vacation loomed closer and closer, most of my time had been preoccupied with ARC applications and sim cards and the fact that banks close-shop around 4:30pm.  I didn't have the moment to even begin planning a big hiking trip like I had originally wanted, let alone figure out who would come with me on a  flight to Jeju. My friends encouraged me to join in on a temple stay, while other groups asked if they'd see me in Seoul. 

But after seeing city, city, and more city for two months straight, I was ready for a farmstead escape.  I wanted foliage and hiking and roughing it out in the rice fields. I told everyone back in the heat of August that I was waiting for autumn hikes. Finally, I was a week away from a five-day break but I couldn't figure out where the heck I could go. 

Until I remembered Geoje.
Until I read about over thirty islands I absolutely had to visit.
Until I wanted to cross them off my list, starting with an hour long bus ride out of Busan and a massive bridge.

Within a day, I'd booked an AirBnB, dug out my backpacking bag, and checked the south coast weather. It was no trip to Jirisan National Park, but everything weighed a little lighter with my knowing that I'd at least dust  the dirt  from my hiking shoes...

My Three (And A Half?) Day Itinerary

Friday



Friday September 21st brought with it a day of desk warming and a long weekend full of Chuseok celebrations. While the rest of the country leaped into their cars for five and six hour traffic jams, I lesson planned  for the next month in advance then booked it out of my school around 4:25. 

The evening itself had been overcast with built-up rain steadily pattering against my windows. I decided to wait out the traffic until later that night and called a friend for dessert nearby. Walking home, I stopped by the bakery next door to talk with my landlady. Like everyone else, she asked about Seoul while weighing and wrapping me an un-requested box of chestnut treats. 

Taking the package with both hands, I somehow managed to tell her in Korean that I'd be going to Geoje island. Her smile broadened, nodding to the rain.

"It's a beautiful place," she told me. "I hope the rain stops for you."
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I woke up to this view!
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I arrived in Geoje-do about twenty minutes earlier than expected and looking something like a drowned rat thanks to my impulsive need to wait outside the bus terminal. My AirBnB host had been kind  enough to pick me up, and we spent the evening in the kitchen talking. We shared thoughts about history and culture; pop music and cult-classic films. 

Before we knew it the clock had crawled just past midnight, and I headed to bed. Despite the rain that still showered down, I made plans to wake early and go hiking. I needed that hiking. I'd planned for it and doodled it in my Bullet Journal's  goals section: Hike More.

Maybe it was my landlady's wishes or my host's hospitality, but luck was on my side and the rain cleared. I awoke to eighty degrees and clear morning skies.

Saturday

I was lacing up my hiking shoes when my host asked if I knew the path. Other guests had gone, but I was straggling with a latter start time. Glancing at Kakao Map (word of warning: Google isn't a thing here), I shrugged. My host grabbed a water bottle and his own hiking shoes as well.

Guksabong Mountain clocks in at around 464 meters and actually has two peaks. Along the way, we passed silent forests with burial grounds nestled between trees, weeds all cleared away with Chuseok so close. My host told me more about Chuseok itself--the  traditions I couldn't so easily see as both an outsider and an American who is used to the commercialism of our holiday decorations and ads. Of course Chuseok's got its gifts and a mad-rush exodus, but most of what I was told concerned food, things like rice cakes and 전 (Korean "pancakes," according to my students), or ancestors, visiting the family grave and receiving tokens from your grandparents. 

After we arrived back, my host offered to show Windy Hill and Sinseondae Cliff. While both locations were beautiful, I much preferred Sinseondae and had even kicked off my shoes to relax in the sunset. Finally, we rounded off the day getting some of the best Korean-style Chinese soup I've ever had. 
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Guksabong Mountain's second peak
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On the road to Windy Hill
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My amateur photography skills couldn't do this peaceful forest justice!

​These gorgeous views were made even better when I remembered my host wasn't obligated to have shown me anything past the kitchen sink. His conversations and company had been something I missed about traveling--something I fell for all over again when I'd went to California back in May.

Part of the wonder in travel, is in the kindness--in our human connection.
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I think I took this photo just because it looked like the start of a Halloween movie...
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Yes, I did climb under a fence to get to the water's edge, but in my defense there were at least ten 아주씨s doing the same.

Sunday

PictureAlthough Hakdong is known for its scattering of smooth black pebbles all along the beach, it was this red rock that caught my eye.
Sunday I was switching hostels and had planned to continue hiking--Mt. Gyeryong that evening and Mt. Noja the next morning. Unfortunately, I began to feel pretty sick. I blame Friday night's rain. My throat constricted with pin-pricks every time I swallowed, so I--reluctantly--decided to skip out on the rest of my hiking. 

Instead, I spent the afternoon at Gujora Beach both burrowing myself in the warm sand and scrambling over boulders to catch my view of  islands along the horizon. When I finally felt like I could eat again, I headed to a nearby Botany Cafe for a nutritious meal. 

(The cheesecake was delicious.)

Finally, I made my way to Hakdong village, strolled along the Black Pebble Beach, and checked into my AirBnB where I crashed to sleep.

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Nap game never been stronger...
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They had a book about Long Island gardens right next to a book on Oedo. I took it as a sign <3

Monday

My Monday morning hike had been replaced with a Monday morning stroll. Although I felt sick, I didn't want to waste the last of my time in Geoje sitting around my AirBnB. 

Stomach armed with ramen for breakfast, I grabbed my camera and headed outside into the overcast day. When I'd gotten my fill of photographing this sleepy little town, I wandered into a cafe and called a cousin. A few hours later, when my body demanded I rest for real, I took a bus back to the main station and waited for the next intercity bus to Busan.
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It took me twenty minutes to work up the courage to go inside one of these restaurants and ask if I could order food to go. As it turns out, the family-style and set-menu fix made it difficult to find any realistic single-size portions. That's okay. I got to practice my Korean.
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Points of Interest

I'm so relieved Geoje's just an hour out from Busan because there'd been so much left I still wanted to see! 
My Itinerary
  • Guksabong
  • Windy Hill
  • Sinseondae Cliff
  • Gujora Beach + Botany Cafe
  • Hakdong Mongdol Beach + Village





Why I Need To Go Back
  • Explore Mt. Gyeryong's two peaks, Korean War remnants, stone monument, and pagoda. 
  • Visit Oedo Island Botanical Gardens and take insane amounts of pictures pretending I'm in a fantastical period drama 'cause I have no shame and love nerdy shit like Tolkien and Jane Austen.
  • Take a look around the Prisoner of War Camp and experience a recreation of prisoners' daily lives
  • Camping and Kayaking at Gujora Beach
  • Hiking Nojasan for the stunning sunrise
  • Eating a Geoje famous dish: Soy Sauce and Spicy Marinated Raw Crabs (양념게장)

Of Pictures and Fun Facts...

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^
I was only a week away from catching the rice fields pictured above in their "full gold" peak! Still a pretty nice view--especially since I've never seen a rice field before.


< 
With just a little bit of encouragement from my host, I hopped a fence to meander along Windy Hill's actual hillside. Among those who joined us were a group of fishermen and their grandchildren, all making their way to the water's edge.
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This has got to be my favorite photo. I've never, in my entire life, felt more like Melody from The Little Mermaid 2, which was a cinematic masterpiece and I don't care what you think of Disney sequels.
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Sinseondae, where, as legend has it, spirits come to frolic and play among the scenic cliff sides and hilltops.
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So thanks, Geoje, for a wonderful first Chuseok!
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  • About Me
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